Why building a 'culture of health' can improve employee engagement

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Dive Brief:

The Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) says that employees place workplace values and culture above a paycheck. HERO's report identifies 24 elements, discerned from case studies, employer surveys and a literature review, that companies can use to build an effective workplace culture.

The HERO report includes case studies from employers that have experienced effective health and business outcomes due to focusing on workplace culture. The case studies show that 90% of Stanford University employees identified their organization's well-being program “one of the top perks of employment”; 75% of eligible Hennepin County employees, spouses, and retirees earned a health program incentive; and 64% of employees at the University of Michigan said their health and well-being program made the university a great place to work.

The Art of Health Promotion published an overview of the HERO findings in the study, which began in 2013 and defined a healthful workplace as one designed to support health and well-being.

Dive Insight:

Building a culture of wellness, and not just offering a wellness program, is a way to engage employees. After all, a truly effective work culture is one that enables employees to work to the best of their ability by creating a supportive and energizing environment.

The "Consumer Health POV 2017"survey found Americans to be highly stressed, with respondents under 45 being the most stressed and those over 45 being sleep-deprived. Stress, or burnout, can lead to a number of chronic health disorders and nonproductive behavior such as absenteeism and lateness. Financial instability is the biggest generator of stress in the workplace, especially among younger generations. The survey concludes that every generation in the workplace needs total well-being support from employers.

Tishman Speyer, a New York City realtor, rents out space to tenants that focuses on their health and well-being. Its first wellness facility at 30 Rockefeller Center has a nurse practitioner on the premises and private rooms tenants can use for yoga, meditation or naps. Innovative firms like TishmanSpeyer might serve as strong examples of wellness-oriented space for employers that seek to build overall cultures of health.